Featuring Rob Cary, Partner at Williams & Connolly, and author of Not Guilty: The Unlawful Prosecution of U.S. Senator Ted Stevens; Howard Root, Former CEO, Vascular Solutions, and author of Cardiac Arrest: Five Heart-Stopping Years as a CEO on the Feds’ Hit-List; and Michael J. Daugherty, Founder and president, LabMD, and author of The Devil Inside the Beltway: The Shocking Exposé of the U.S. Government’s Surveillance and Overreach into Cybersecurity, Medicine and Small Business; moderated by Clark Neily, Vice President for Criminal Justice, Cato Institute.

Prosecutors and other government lawyers who enforce our nation’s laws wield vast power and exercise tremendous discretion with little oversight or accountability. For example, more than 95 percent of criminal convictions are now obtained through plea bargaining instead of jury trials. As a result, citizen participation in our criminal justice system has effectively been eliminated and with it much of the oversight that the Constitution’s framers intended. Even when cases do go to trial, it is possible — and, some have argued, disturbingly common — for prosecutors to further tilt the playing field in their favor by failing to disclose potentially exculpatory evidence, influencing witnesses with threats or inducements, and manipulating juries with improper arguments. Unfortunately, when government lawyers do commit misconduct, it is extremely rare for them to be punished or indeed even publicly identified. Finally, the U.S. Supreme Court has held that prosecutors are absolutely immune from civil lawsuits, even for willful violations of people’s rights, such as deliberately prosecuting someone they know to be innocent and suborning perjury to obtain an unjust conviction.

As a result, two important questions arise: (1) Are the existing checks on prosecutorial misconduct strong enough to ensure fairness in criminal and regulatory proceedings; and (2) are Americans well-served by our current system of near-zero accountability for prosecutors and other government lawyers? Our panelists have written powerful and often deeply shocking books about their firsthand experiences with that system and the damage it does to the cause of justice.

Since taking office in January, U.S. President Trump has not been able to shake off one particular controversial issue – allegations that his presidential campaign had ties to Russia.

“The FBI, as part of our counterintelligence mission, is investigating the Russian government’s efforts to interfere in the 2016 presidential election. And that includes investigating the nature of any links between individuals associated with
the Trump campaign and the Russian government and whether there was any coordination between the campaign and Russia’s efforts.”

-FBI Director, James Comey

Meanwhile the Trump Administration is pushing back saying there was no collusion or secret cooperation. Here’s the White House Press Secretary.

“Over and over again, to the dismay of everyone of you guys, is that when the people who have been briefed by the FBI about collusion between individuals, the answer continues to be ‘no’, and at some point take no for an answer. When these people, both sides of the aisle, Obama appointees, elected Democrats, elected Republicans, say ‘no evidence suggest it’, at some point it’s not just about me, it’s about you. Take no for an answer, and realize that the people – while you can have an investigation – it doesn’t necessarily mean you have to jump to the conclusion that ‘aha, it must be about the collusion between those two things’.”

-White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer

To discuss what’s at stake with these new revelations and how the Trump administration is moving forward:

Michael Daugherty, a cyber security expert and Donald Trump supporter. He’s also the author of “The Devil Inside the Beltway”

Alexander Nekrassov, a former Kremlin advisor and political analyst

Liling Tan, correspondent for CGTN and covers the United Nations

Alberto Avendano, the Washington Bureau Chief and White House correspondent at the National Association of Hispanic Publications

The Heat: Trump under fire – FBI Investigation Pt 1

The Heat: Trump under fire – FBI Investigation Pt 1

Since taking office in January, U.S. President Trump has not been able to shake off one particular controversial issue – allegations that his presidential campaign had ties to Russia. Meanwhile the Trump Administration is pushing back saying there was no collusion or secret cooperation. Here’s the White House Press Secretary. To discuss what’s at stake with these new revelations and how the Trump administration is moving forward: Michael Daugherty, a cyber security expert and Donald Trump supporter. He’s also the author of “The Devil Inside the Beltway.” Alexander Nekrassov, a former Kremlin advisor and political analyst. Liling Tan, correspondent for CGTN and covers the United Nations. Alberto Avendano, the Washington Bureau Chief and White House correspondent at the National Association of Hispanic Publications.

With Wyndham’s surrender to the FTC after a brutal court of appeals opinion, the last outpost of resistance to the FTC’s cybersecurity agenda is Mike Daugherty, CEO of LabMD. Daugherty refused to take the easy road and enter into a consent decree with the FTC to settle its claim that the company’s security was insufficient because of a file-sharing program installed on the corporate network. That decision has cost Daugherty his company. LabMD has ceased operations. And it took him on an extraordinary odyssey through Washington that he has described in his book, The Devil Inside the Beltway, and in several speeches. I caught up with Mike at the Black Hat Executive Summit where we were both speakers, and he kindly agreed to a short interview describing some of that odyssey.

I interview Mike Daugherty – author of The Devil Inside the Beltway live from the Security Advisor Alliance first-ever Summit in Dallas, TX. Mike was kind enough to sit down with me (twice, thanks to a tech failure) and tell his absolutely surreal story of what happened to him, his company at the hands of what can only be described as an insane situation.

If you own a business, or manage a business, or work in enterprise — you need to hear Mike’s story. If it wasn’t documented and video recorded, you’d never believe it’s true.

Truth be told, I’ve been a supporter of the FTC as an advocate for the victims of breaches – the person who’s information is stolen. After hearing Mike’s story… I have had my mind completely changed.

Host Brian Wesolowski sits down with Michael Daugherty to discuss in-depth his recent court win against the Federal Trade Commission, how the long-term experience turned into his recent book “The Devil Inside The Beltway,” and more. The issue at hand raises questions about the agency’s ability to protect consumers against risky business practices that have not yet led to actual harm.

The Devil Inside The Beltway

FTC Disclaimer

The Federal Trade Commission requires that I disclose any relationship I have between a product manufacturer or service provider when I write about a product or service. Michael Daugherty receives a small commission for purchases made via affiliate links on this site such as from Amazon. The above does not affect my opinion of those products and services. I am committed to providing helpful articles to my readers.